racismfreeontario:

Anna Mae Aquash was a Mi’kmaq activist, born in 1945, who became a member of the American Indian Mouvement in the early 1970′s. She was murdered in 1975, and the case of her murder is still going on today. The murder of Anna Mae Aquash will never be fully resolved, but she will always be remebered as a powerful woman who fought for the rights of her people. An active American Indian Movement (AIM) member, as well as mother, wife, social worker, and day care teacher, her image is powerful as much for her untimely death as for her life’s work. Found murdered on the Pine Ridge Reservation during a time of tremendous social and political upheaval, she has become a symbol of the movement for Indian rights.

Anna Mae Aquash Quotes:

- “I’m Indian all the way, and always will be. I’m not going to stop fighting until I die, and I hope I’m a good example of a human being and of my tribe.”

- “These white people think this country belongs to them. They don’t realize that they are only in charge right now because there’s more of them than there are of us. The whole country changed with only a handful of raggedy-ass pilgrims that came over here in the 1500s. And it can take a handful of raggedy-ass Indians to do the same, and I intend to be one of those raggedy-ass Indians.”

Day 100! of Racism Free Ontario’s 100 People of Colour Spotlight. .(more info  at Anna Mae Aquash)

racismfreeontario:

Sandra Lovelace Nicholas, a Maliseet woman from New Brunswick’s Tobique Nation,  has been a driving force in securing rights for Aboriginal women in Canada, and is also a wonderful example of the impact one woman can have when she sets out to correct an injustice.

Sandra lost her status when she married a white man, and even once divorced, she and her children didn’t recover her status. At the time, the Tobique band council refused to allocate her a subsidized house. The law made no similar provision for Native men who married non-aboriginals. Women who lost status were effectively barred from having their children educated on the reserve and taking part in band decisions. In 1977, Ms. Lovelace Nicholas took her case to the United Nations human-rights committee, charging that the discriminatory measures in Canada’s Indian Act violated an international covenant on civil and political rights – a case she won in 1981. The law was not reversed until 1985; it took her nearly ten years to recover her status.

Challenging discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act, which deprived Aboriginal women of their status when they married non-Aboriginals, she was instrumental in bringing the case before the United Nations Human Rights Commission and lobbying for the 1985 legislation which reinstated the rights of Aboriginal women and their children in Canada.  In 1990, she was awarded the Order of Canada, and in 1992, she received the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. Sandra Lovelace Nicholas’ efforts have helped advance the cause of civil rights in this country, and her pride, strength and determination have made her a role model for many Aboriginal women. A proud mother of 4, she studied at St. Thomas University for 3 years and has a degree in residential construction from the Maine Northern Technical College.  She continues to make her home on the Tobique First Nation.

• Day 99 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
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  (via Sandra M. Lovelace Nicholas)

racismfreeontario:

Sheila Watt-Cloutier. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of changing public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision makers for over a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st Century leadership. She treats the issues of our day — the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability — not as separate concerns, but as a deeply interconnected whole. Every decision, whether environmental, political or economic, has a profound effect on those far from the corridors of power; to understand this connection is vital to building a sustainable world. This is Watt-Cloutier’s message. At a time when people are seeking solutions, direction, and a sense of hope, this global leader provides a big picture of where we are and where we are headed.

In 2007, Sheila Watt-Cloutier was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work in showing the impact of global climate change on human rights — especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately, and more dramatically, than anywhere else in the world. (The Arctic is the planet’s health barometer; what happens in the world happens there first.) By making a human connection – by telling the human stories — she helped a generation see the issue in a newly urgent way. Her advocacy work — not just environmental but all-encompassing — is grounded in human rights, in our shared humanity.

Based in Nunavut, Watt-Cloutier is an Officer of the Order of Canada. She is also the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Aboriginal Achievement Award, the UN Champion of the Earth Award, and the prestigious Norwegian Sophie Prize. From 1995 - 2002, she was elected the Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). At the ICC, she was a hugely influential voice in the successful negotiations of the Stockholm Convention, the landmark treaty banning Persistent Organic Pollutants. (POPs end up in the Arctic and have been an alarming health issue for Inuit). She was later elected in 2002 to become the International Chair of the ICC, representing the 155,000 Inuit from Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Russia; she held this post until 2006. Under her leadership, she and 62 fellow Inuit from Canada and Alaska launched the world’s first international legal action on climate change, with a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She is the main signatory to the petition. Displaying calm, clear and reflective leadership on various big issues, Watt-Cloutier is a much requested speaker worldwide.

• Day 94 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

(via Sheila Watt-Cloutier)

racismfreeontario:

kemba king is an artist. healer. storyteller.

she has been writing and sharing her art for over 10 years. in 2009 and 2010 she was a part of the anitafrika dub theatre playwrights-in-residence program where she wrote and co-produced the biomyth monodrama ‘where the stories are told’. during the same year, she participated and culminated from the sacred leaders mentorship program from sacred women centres international. she hosted and co-produced a radio show entitled ‘womyn’s word’ for over 10 years. she also co-directed and co-facilitated the medina collective – an organisation committed to informing and engaging young women of colour in media literacy primarily via hip hop. kemba is an emerging bloggerhttp://insearchofmymotherstongues.wordpress.com/. kemba uses her experience in community organising and community counseling to support emerging leaders in toronto.

• Day 95 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

  (via kemba king)

racismfreeontario:

Red Slam is a hiphopsoulrock fusion band whose music uplifts, self-identifies and promotes unity through Spoken, Lyricism which Arranges Meaning (SLAM). The group is comprised of young poets, songwriters, rappers, musicians, composers, and vocalists, breakers and graf artists representing diverse indigenous nation affiliations across Turtle Island and Internationally (Mohawk, Mi’kmaq, Anishinaabe, Inca, Cree, Dene). The Red Slam Movement started back in the fall of 2008 after a 12 week Slam Poetry workshop series at the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto. In 2009 a TUAS and the OAC Grant gave way to professional development sessions with award winning recording artists Digging Roots.

In 2010 with support a Word of Mouth Travel Grant, Red Slam began the DissemiNation Tour performing live in cities across Ontario and Quebec. 2011 Red Slam featured at the NXNE Music Festival, the Home and Native Sound Music Series, and Manifesto Urban Arts Festival. They started 2012 headlining in Vancouver, BC for Red Wire’s Sentinel Shores Land Defense. Since 2010 Red Slam Collective has been successfully delivering cultural arts facilitation in the areas of slam poetry; collective rap compositions and recording; graffiti arts, break dancing and hip hop choreopoetry under their 4 Directions Urban Arts Workshop Series, to children, youth and intergenerational communities in both urban and rural settings across Ontario. These workshops integrate diverse indigenous teachings with contemporary explorations of self-identity, anti-colonial journey mapping, community capacity building and self-
empowerment.

Join our FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Slam/13118916774

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RedSlam

Official Sonic Bids Profile: http://profiles.sonicbids.com/artists/RedSlamCollective

MySpace Page: http://myspace.com/redslamcollective

Check us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/RedSlamCollective

Nia:wen~ Chi Miigwetch~ Wela’lin

• Day 96 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

 (via Red Slam)

racismfreeontario:

Letecia Rose is a youth advocate passionate about empowering youth to become the leaders of their schools and communities. While attending York University for a Bachelors in Health and Society, Letecia gained an understanding of equity, inclusive education and social justice. This experience enabled her to recognize the value of popular culture and identity formation in the implementation of youth programming, and she ultimately infused these ideas with anti-oppression, popular education methods and multimedia to engage youth in her programs.

Letecia has led workshops on Islamaphobia, homophobia, anti-racism, gender equity, and the practice of conducting courageous conversations in the workplace. The popularity of these workshops has allowed Letecia to facilitate workplace equity workshops for City of Toronto, The City of Newmarket, Centennial College, the United Church of Canada, Community Microskills, and Human Resources and Skill Development Canada.

Starting out initially as a Program Officer at Harmony Movement, her youth-friendly facilitation style and popular theatre techniques, allowed her to move up the ranks in the organization from Program Coordinator to Education Director. Within her various roles in the organization, she was involved in developing and implementing various programs, initiatives, and curriculum that allowed youth to embrace diversity and combat discrimination.

Letecia has facilitated workshops in both the Public and Catholic school boards in Toronto, York Region, Peel, Durham, Niagara, and Kitchener-Waterloo. However, recognizing the systemic and institutional barriers that hinder student success in embracing equitable practices, Letecia began to facilitate workshops for educators and pre-service teachers at OISE and York University Faculty of Education. Leteica went on to write a successful proposal to the Ontario Ministry of Education that created an equity and inclusive leadership training program and resources for educators which is currently being implemented in several School Boards across Ontario.

As a United Way City Leader, Letecia’s focus has and will always be with youth leadership development as they are 100% responsible for what happens in the future. In her short career she has managed to personally work with over 3,000 youth in hands-on diversity programs and facilitate anti-discrimination workshops and assemblies for additional 10,000 youth across Ontario. Currently Letecia works as a Program and Partnerships Manager at Nia Centre for the Arts where she creates initiatives to support Afro-Diasporic youth, arts and artists. The Nia programing model focuses on arts engagement, holistic identity development, in addition to building resiliency within youth.

This year Letecia combined her passion for arts with social activism by producing the Black History Month video, “What Makes You So Strong” which highlights the many faces of African Diasporic people who are doing inspirational work in their communities. She hopes that like this video, she will be able to inspire youth to empower themselves and take action for social change. 

• Day 85 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

(via Letecia Rose)

racismfreeontario:

Harriet Nahanee was a 73 year old residential school survivor, environmental activist, Pacheedaht (part of the Nuu-chah-nulth indigenous peoples of Vancouver Island) Grandmother, Elder, and Warrior. She passed away on February 24, 2007, in the manner that she lived her life, standing strong defending indigenous land and people. She was a powerful presence who was committed to indigenous education, environmental justice, and indigenous rights. As an Indian Boarding School survivor, Nahanee worked tirelessly to ensure that indigenous education saved what she saw as “the lost generations” and also spoke out about the gendered and cultural impact of Boarding School policies – including rape, murder of babies to hide the evidence, and burial in mass graves, etc. that typified some of the “women’s issues” at Boarding Schools.

She was concerned with re-instilling pride and traditional ways which she saw ran decidedly counter to nation-building in the West and its counter-productive consequences. Harriet died from pneumonia and undiagnosed lung cancer after serving 2 weeks in prison for her part in the 2006 blockade to defend Eagle Bluff, from the expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway, on her husband’s Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish) territory. The highway expansion was a key development project for the corrupt Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics.

In her lifetime, Harriet Nahanee was a loyal supporter of AIM Warrior Leonard Peltier, who was extradited from Vancouver in 1976, and convicted of the murder of 2 FBI agents. At the time of her passing Nahanee had been weak from the flu and asthma in January, and it was widely suspected that Nahanee’s condition worsened during her incarceration at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre. An inquiry into her passing was called for in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on March 5. Following the completion of the Inquiry, colonial Solicitor-General John Les said the provincial government expressed “regret” for the passing, but as is so often the case denied any settler-government responsibility and refused opposition requests for an inquiry. She was an inspiration to women and activists everywhere. She was defiant and bold to the last minute.

• Day 92 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

(via Harriet Nahanee)

racismfreeontario:

Salimah Kassim-Lakha is the Executive Director of Yoga Without Borders – a service and activist organization dedicated to developing leadership in the global community since 2001.  Yoga Without Borders is focussed on developing and implementing strategies toward the eradication of institutionalized violence against women and girls worldwide permanently and in our life time.

At the height of leadership we create a global shift in consciousness – a shift in attitudes and behaviors that effectively stops danger and creates safety and security for all.  In this process we see our common humanity and we take action for those who are unseen and unheard.  We may never meet them, we may never hear from them, we may not even like them – but we are making a change for our common good – our Oneness.

As a Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist, Salimah has travelled internationally using the technology of Yoga to lead, heal, teach and transform.  For more details visit www.yogawithoutborders.net

• Day 90 of Racism Free Ontario’s100 People of Colour Spotlight.
• Follow our facebook fanpage , tumblr, twitter and website for daily updates.

 (via Salimah Kassim-Lakha)